Workflow fo 1800's studios.

[RPippin]

I'm curious about the workflow do the photographic studios of the 1800's particularly the 1850's. The old photographs we find in antique and junk shops all around have a wonderful look to them and they are in an abundance, at least around here in Virginia. What I'm curious about is how the photographers worked back then. All the images seem to be around the same size, around 6X9cm, have some sort of mounting that has the studio name embossed into it and have a very warm tone. I know they used everything from albumen to calotype processes, and I'm wandering about readily available papers and materials they might have used. I do what we call alternative processing myself, with Kallitype and Platinum/Palladium and have first hand experience with hand coating paper, but I'm sure a studio during that time period must have had a quicker and more efficient way of producing an image for their clients. With the wealth of knowledge out there from you guys, someone should be able to point me in the right direction. Thanks

[bob carnie]

About 1840 -1850 a lot of processes became very important, the process I use applied colour gum over palladium was around that time, I am curious as well to this period of time and the expansion of print making materials.

[goamules]

Wetplate studios used several people. The photographer operated the camera and talked to the customer sitting. The operator poured the plates, put them in the holders, and brought them to the sitting room. The photographer simply got the sitters comfortable and holding still. I'm sure the operator also took the exposed plate back to develop it. The nice thing is the finished plate could be ready in a half hour.

For consistency, remember they were using the same studio seating, camera, and largely the same skylight lighting and backgrounds. In bigger NY studios they were shooting several times a day, so everything was very understood. Which is good, because wetplate chemistry changes daily, as it ages. If you look at a good studio portrait (not the guys shooting out of a wagon in a tiny town out West, they got outstanding results. Look as some of the portraits of Civil War generals, for example.

[Jim Noel]

Readily available papers, etc?
No, the best paper was the extremely light weight stationery. Nominally something well under what we call 20 lb.

[tgtaylor]

In 1840 to 1850 there were two photographic processes: the Daguerreotype and the Caliotype/Salted Paper. Both were superceeded ~ 1855 by the Albumin process which was a refinement of the Salted Paper. The albumin process was dominate until it was replaced by the modern silver gelatin process of today. A brief introduction to the origins of photography can be found on my website below. The book Origins of American Photography: From the Daguerreotype to the Dry Plate 1835 - 1885, is an excellent Introduction to the subject with abundant references.

Thomas

[blueribbontea]

also see http://albumen.conservation-us.org/l...lly/chap2.html
The Albumen and Salted Paper Book , for some detailed descriptions.

[goamules]

Oh, sorry, I didn't read the OP's question was about printing, not just the plates/negatives. For that, Albumen was very common, you can still find the printing contact frames. They'd put them up on the roof, for the long exposure time in the sun.

[Mark Sawyer]

In 1840 to 1850 there were two photographic processes...

There were a lot more than two...

[aluncrockford]

The photograph of Fox Talbot's studio in Reading gives a fairly good overview

http://www.edinphoto.org.uk/1_p/1_ph...ablishment.htm

[bob carnie]

I thought so too but this is not an area of expertise of mine and I would like to here more.


On a very commercial/ marketing point of view... My new location is 1840 Danforth Ave Toront.. I would like to play on the origin dates of printmaking and my location if I can.

There were a lot more than two...